


Safe And Sound

by astudyinfic



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Backstory, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 11:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4827782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>None of them suspected anything.  That was only to be expected.  Arthur was good at his job - the best - and if he couldn’t keep a detail hidden, then he wouldn’t have been where he was today.  And when that detail protected the most important thing in his life, then he would take that to the grave if necessary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe And Sound

None of them suspected anything.  That was only to be expected.  Arthur was good at his job - the best - and if he couldn’t keep a detail hidden, then he wouldn’t have been where he was today.  The circumstances they found themselves in made it all the easier.  Yusuf, having recently joined the team, really did not know any of them well enough yet to make a judgement.  Ariadne was also new but far more observant.  Thankfully those powers had been turned toward figuring out the mystery that was Cobb, not the other secret that lay right before her face.  Cobb?  Cobb had his own concerns to be bothered with those of his team.  Maybe not the best place for him to be mentally but the team was strong enough to pull him through if need be.  

* * *

A dingy warehouse, not unlike the one they planned the inception in, was where the story truly started, seven years before Mr. Saito ever proposed his idea.  Cobb and Arthur and pulled a few extractions together by then.  Mal recently joined the team as well and Arthur watched the two fall quickly and deeply in love.  The three of them planned for a new job, one that would require an expertise neither of them had.  Arthur spent hours trying to plan around it, to find a way to make the job go smoothly without a fourth person but it was hopeless.  They needed a forger.

The dreamshare world was small and there was only one name in forgery that would be good enough for this team made up of some of the best extractors in the world.  Eames.  He was an enigma though, there one minute, vanished to the ether the next.  He did the jobs that interested him and nothing more.  Eames wasn’t found unless he wanted to be found.  Or so the story went.  But Cobb and Arthur wouldn’t be where they were today if they did not have the skills and expertise to find those who wished to remain hidden.  And so they approached a man in hideous clothing, drink straight whiskey in a small bar outside Cardiff.  Arthur would never forget the frigid Welsh rain that day, complimented perfectly by the cold reception they enjoyed when finally meeting Eames face to face.

“What do you want, mate?” the Brit had asked as Cobb sat across from him, Arthur still standing and taking in their surroundings.  No one knew where they were, but it was never good to be caught unaware, particularly with the job they were about to pull. “And you, darling?  You going to take a seat or just stand there all day?”

Arthur remembered bristling at the term of endearment, wondering who this man thought he was to address him in such a way.  Yet, at the same time, he kicked himself for blushing and vowed to keep Eames at an arm’s length.  Personal feelings just muddied things up in business, and Arthur was nothing if not professional.

* * *

While no one could say the Fischer job without a hitch, it went far better than any of them had expected.  Even Arthur, for his impeccable planning had felt little hope that the whole thing would work.  Only Cobb in his hope to reunite his family had honestly believed that they would succeed in their inception.  And yet, it did.

The fact that things didn’t go smoothly was the reason Arthur thought they got away with everything without being caught.  Usually so subtle and controlled, the complexity of the job paired with the fact that they would be at different levels had them both on edge.  The look shared in that hotel room, a look of fear, longing and love, should have given them away to everyone and yet, not one person noticed it.  Only after the others were under did Arthur give himself permission to breathe.  He would keep them safe.  His life depended on it, though not in the way the rest of the team would have thought.

Before leaving the room, he let his fingers trail lightly up the face of the one he knew so well, “Sleep well, Mr. Eames.”  

* * *

The first job they worked together without Cobb came not long after the first job they worked together, period.  It was something small, not requiring the whole team and Arthur was certain he could do it with just one man.  Deciding to leave Dom and Mal to enjoy a rare weekend off, Arthur had placed a call to Eames, justifying his actions as helping out his friends and not that he wanted to keep the forger all to himself.  

All too quickly, his feeling for Eames become a liability, as he finds it difficult to concentrate on what he needs in order to complete the mission.  By lashing out, keeping Eames at a figurative distance, Arthur quickly finished what he needed and the two of them slipped into the dreamspace, though Eames went grudgingly, unsure what had happened to change Arthur’s attitude.

As jobs were apt to do in such an unpredictable field, things went bad fast.  A militarized subconscious and a forger who thought he could take care of things himself left Arthur kneeling next to a dying Eames, waiting for death to come to wake him.  “Just shoot me, darling,” Eames had drawled and it took all Arthur had to hold back the choking sob that threatened to bubble up from inside.  He knew it was a dream, but seeing Eames lying there, bleeding on the concrete felt all too real.  Nothing was worth this pain.  Fumbling with the die in his pocket, Arthur reassured himself they would wake up from this as he pulled the trigger on the Glock he held against Eames head.

A moment later, he turned the gun on himself.

He woke to a surprised, slightly disoriented Eames who proceeded to yell, cursing him for ruining the job.  Arthur heard nothing past the sound of the gunshot still echoing in his head and the pounding of blood in his ears.  Climbing from the chair, he pulled Eames too him, giving him a firm kiss before turning and walking from the warehouse.  If he couldn’t control himself in the dreamspace with Eames, Arthur vowed never to put himself in that situation again.

* * *

After disembarking the plane, their mission complete and job done, each member of the team had a plan for where they would go.  None would acknowledge the other, not wanting to alert Fischer to anything unusual about the dream and sleep he had just experienced.  Cobb immediately went to find his children, not even glancing back the moment he was through customs.  Yusuf continued onto another flight, destined for parts unknown.  Ariadne went back to school, acting for all the world like just another college student returning from holiday.

None of them considered where the others were going.  It was best to keep some things secret after all.  So none realized that both Eames and Arthur caught flights to New York.  None realized their cabs took them to the same address.  And none realized that once they were safe inside their favorite home once more, the two men fell into bed, reassuring themselves that they were safe, they were home, they were real.

* * *

Arthur took only jobs that had no need of a forger.  It was simple enough.  Forgery was a very specific skill and not required for all extractions.  Most of the time they could count on the mark’s subconscious to make the projections that they needed.  He and Cobb continued to work together until there were no others that Arthur would trust with his life.  He knew on occasion that Cobb worked with Eames but Arthur avoided those.  Better to walk away than risk the pain of loss.

This plan worked well, Arthur nearly succeeded in convincing himself that he had no interest in the forger anymore.  It was around the same time that Mal and Dom were to be married.  Dom chose Arthur to be his best man and the point man was beyond honored by the request.  As with everything he did, Arthur made sure every detail was hammered out so his friends’ wedding would be perfect.  Never did he expect that his life would change that day as well.

Mal was a kind, gregarious woman and Arthur assumed she had many friends and loved ones.  The guest list alone was substantial and in a rare lapse of judgement, Arthur did not even consider asking who the maid of honor was.  It would obviously be a close friend or relative, most likely someone Arthur had never met.  He knew Mal and Dom well enough to know that they would have thoroughly vetted their guest list, just to make sure everything was safe.

Which was how when the music started, instead of a woman in a chiffon gown standing next to him, Arthur was arm in arm with none other than Eames, dressed to kill in the tuxedo each member of the wedding party wore.  “What are you doing?” Arthur hissed as Eames prodded him to start moving after the rest of the wedding party had already entered.

“Darling, I’m the man of honor.  Do try to keep up.  It would really ruin the effect if you trip on the way to the altar.”

On the way to the altar rang in Arthur’s ears the rest of the ceremony, hardly hearing anything with his eyes firmly on the man standing opposite him.  His thoughts drifted to the two of them being there, of a lifetime of happiness like what stood in front of Dom and Mal. But there was no Arthur and Eames like there was Dom and Mal, and after what he pulled on their last mission together, there probably never would be.

At the reception, Arthur hung to the sides of the room, watching the others dance and nursing his third champagne of the night.  Pining did not suit him and he was planning his escape when he felt a strong arm loop around his waist.  “Never took you for a wall flower, darling.  Not that I expected you to be the life of the party either.  Somewhere in between.”

“Eames,” Arthur nodded, his mouth going dry from the proximity.  “If you pardon me, I need to give the happy couple my best wishes.  I was just about to leave.”  

Eames smiled, that infuriating smile that sent a shock of heat to the base of Arthur’s spine.  “I was going to go as well.”  He leaned in, whispering in Arthur’s ear, “We have unfinished business, you and I.  I want to know how you can kiss me like that and then vanish without a trace.”  

Arthur’s world tipped sideways as desire flooded through him and he gripped Eames’ arms to hold himself upright.  “Safer,” he whispered.  “Safer alone.”

“But not happier, darling.  So go say goodbye and maybe we can find some sort of compromise.”

* * *

With his children back, it was several months before Cobb called the team together for another job.  But that wasn’t the first time that Arthur and Eames saw one of their teammates.  Or more specifically the first time they were seen by one of them.  The two men in question were completely oblivious.  

Yusuf was back in the states, collaborating with another chemist who insisted on showing him some of the best spots in the city.  Between the dim lights and the large crowd, he wasn’t sure that he was truly seeing the scene before them.  Everyone knew that Arthur and Eames knew each other before the job but there was that undercurrent of animosity that tinted all of their interactions.  That didn’t match with ... this.

Despite the crowd, there was a ring of space around the two men who barely saw the others around them, their eyes locked on each other.  While Eames’ characteristic grin was firmly in place but it was the soft smile on Arthur’s normally stoic features that made Yusuf stop in place, breath knocked out of his lungs by the shock.

“I’m telling you, Ariadne, there is something going on between Eames and Arthur.”  Yusuf made the call the moment he left the club, his heart continuing to pound.

Ariadne didn’t take it seriously.  (Why would she?  The whole thought was ridiculous, Yusuf had to remind himself.)  “Of course there is.  Thinly veiled hostility and possible homicidal tendencies.”

“You didn’t see it, A.  You didn’t see Arthur.”  The face on their point man was something he couldn’t get out of his mind.  He seemed so young and happy.  Yusuf didn’t realize Arthur could be happy.  “Ariadne, he smiled.  Truly smiled and it was directed at Eames while they were dancing.”  

The other end of the line fell silent for a moment.  Finally, “He does smile on occasion.  And it might be something else.  It’s just... It’s not that, Yusuf.  That doesn’t make sense.”

Yusuf admitted defeat but swore he would watch closer.  He wanted the truth of what he had seen because he trusted his eyes no matter how outlandish it had been.

* * *

They came to a compromise.  No one would know.  Not even Mal and Dom.  If no one knew, no one could use it against them.  No one could torture one to get to the other.  They would be safe.

It wasn’t a perfect plan.  There were times where they were both stressed as hell, exhausted, or just plain horny but with others around, they had to act like the answer to their problem wasn’t standing only feet away.  They had to take separate taxis to go to the same place, on the good days.  They had to take separate taxis and sleep alone on the bad.  

There had been close calls and near misses and on the day they exchanged their vows, no one they knew stood by their side as they had done for Dom and Mal.  After Mal’s death, they couldn’t even grieve properly in front of their friend, unable to turn to the one they loved the most.  

It was hard and caused them a great deal of pain and frustration, which generally bubbled out in unfiltered animosity.  But at the end of the day, they knew they could turn to the other and he would be there, figuratively if not literally.

* * *

 

“I’m not going under until THOSE TWO answer my question.”

This had been going on for some time.  Cobb was frustrated, Ariadne amused, Eames looked like this was a dream come true and Arthur... he just looked bored.  “Yusuf, for the last time, there is nothing going on between Eames and Arthur.  They are my two closest friends.  If anything was happening, I would know.”

The agreement to leave Cobb out of it had originally been Arthur’s idea.  An attempt to keep his closest friend safe.  But now, he felt as if a shard of ice had just implanted itself in his heart.  He was going to cause people pain, regardless of how this played out.  They had been found out by the last person he expected and now, a choice had to be made.  A silent glance at Eames, a quick nod, and Arthur had his answer.  He knew Eames’ answer before he even looked.  They had the conversation enough times in the past.  

While the debate raged, Arthur slipped from his chair and to his desk, pulling something small from the top drawer.  Walking over, he dropped the item into Eames’ waiting hand before taking his own seat.  The small gold band slipped perfectly over his finger, never worn but always kept close.  “Eames and I married three years ago.  We’ve been together five,” he stated.  A look at Cobb showed how confused his friend truly was.  “I am sorry we didn’t tell you. I was trying to keep you safe, to keep everyone safe.  The only information that can’t get us killed is information no one has.”

Eames’ warm hand reached out to engulf his own and Arthur nodded appreciatively as Ariadne asked, “So it really was you Yusuf saw?  I thought he had taken something he shouldn’t have.”

“It was us.” Eames answered this time.  “Thought the Pasadena house would be safe.  None of you were supposed to be there and with Cobb going to New York, we thought getting to the other side of the country was the safest move.”  

“You two go dancing?  And actually like being in each other’s company?” Ariadne barely hid the amusement from her voice.  “How have you been together five years without killing each other?”

Arthur smirked, “He has skills that more than make up for his shortcomings.  And most of the time, our disagreements stem from the secret, from not being able to rely on each other as we might in private settings.”

“You should see the way this one moves.  Sex on legs on the dance floor.”  Arthur spun on Eames and nearly pushed him over, simply causing the Brit to laugh.

“Yeah, I don’t believe it.”  Cobb couldn’t get his head around it, that much was obvious.

“We finally came to our senses on the day of your wedding,” Arthur offered.  “I had been avoiding him for months and then you and Mal made us your attendants and we walked down the aisle together.  After three champagnes, I no longer felt strong enough to deny what I felt.  We went to his hotel room and talked.”

Ariadne snorted, “Is that what you call it?”  

“When the man I love is plastered and I don’t feel like taking advantage of him, yes, it is,” Eames ground out.  The intensity of his tone made the laughter fade instantly from the room.

“You really do love him?” The words were soft, an awed whisper.  

“Yes, I really do.  And he loves me for some reason.”  

Arthur smiled at Eames.  “You know why I do.”  

The conversation continued for some time though there was no more argument, mostly a stunned hush.  Something so important and they had all missed it.  Eventually the topic turned back to work and everything was as it had been, with the slight change that Eames’ hand never left Arthur’s for the rest of the day.

That night, as they lay curled together in their hotel room, Eames brought it up first.  “They took it as well as can be expected.  Can you now admit that you were wrong to leave them out of the loop, darling?”

“I wasn’t wrong.  It kept them safe.  It kept you safe.  I will never believe that an attempt to protect my husband would be wrong.”

Eames rolled his eyes, knowing he would never win that argument.  “Which one will show up here first tonight?”  They both knew the team wouldn’t believe it until they saw for themselves.  

“If my calculations are correct, and I’m certain they are, Cobb is in the lobby already.  I think we can expect Yusuf after the bars close and Ariadne, she’ll probably wait until morning.”

Shifting so he lay on top of the smaller man, Eames smirked at him.  “So, Cobb is in the lobby?  Shall we give him the proof he is looking for when he arrives.”  His hips rolled against Arthur’s to accentuate his point and drew a whimper from his husband.

An evil grin formed on Arthur’s face as his hands went up to pull Eames into a wet kiss, “Best idea you have had all night.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into this fandom. I just started to write and couldn't stop. Hope I did the characters justice.


End file.
